The Chesapeake Collectibles appraisers specialize in knowledge and advice. But there’s something else we’ve noticed: A collector’s happiness can give them as big a sense of fulfillment as any “holy grail” they’re after themselves (and they indeed have intense personal collecting interests).
When we rhapsodize here at MPT about how the thrill of a special find can be a shared community event, we can point specifically to how big our appraisers dream in advance of each year’s taping of another season of our show. They want to see somebody — anybody! — show up with a once-in-a-career rarity.
With this year’s October 4-5 taping weekend just around the corner (the time will fly now), we asked about their wish lists.
“This year I'm going to go historical on you,” said Dennis Harter, our Asian Arts expert, who previously mentioned Chinese porcelain. “It’s still a piece of Chinese ceramic art, but one that is a genuine piece from one of the earlier dynasties —Tang to the Liao — which would be from the early seventh to twelfth centuries, so we could discuss its provenance and where it fit in the ceramics (and) porcelain tradition.”
It’s always intriguing when we get such precise answers to our questions. And yet we also enjoy the energy in replies from appraisers that just ooze with speculation about the unknown — in other words, the excitement of possibilities.
“As a passionate jewelry appraiser,” said Selden Morgan, “this is actually a hard question to answer. I truly love the opportunity to see everyone’s family heirlooms and hear the stories behind them.
But if I had to dream up the perfect collection, I’d wish for signed Art Deco jewelry — most notably pieces by Van Cleef & Arpels or Tiffany & Co. Maybe even a tiara or a fabulous wide bracelet! The Art Deco era is my absolute favorite: the striking contrast of vividly colored stones with crisp white diamonds, all set in bold geometric patterns, is simply timeless.”
We’ll have more from other appraisers in future weeks. But blog readers can immediately start spreading the word about Harter and Morgan’s dreams. Know somebody who might be able to drop all jaws at the taping? Our production crew will be ready!
Registration time slots are filling up for the Chesapeake Collectibles Season 13 taping weekend on October 4-5. Visit mpt.org/programs/chesapeakecollectibles/ today to reserve your spot!
Watch encore episodes of the current season of Chesapeake Collectibles anytime on the free PBS app and online at video.mpt.tv/show/chesapeake-collectibles/.
